Riverbank Filtration Tunnel and Pump Station in Louisville, KY Wins 2011 ASCE Award

Collector well diagram

Collector well diagram

The Riverbank Filtration Tunnel and Pump Station in Louisville, Kentucky is an innovative project to provide clean drinking water to the Louisville metro area. The project involves using the natural filtration of a sand and gravel aquifer beneath the Ohio River to provide an economical source of clean water. Four 13-ft diameter caissons approximately 100-ft deep form the collecter wells, and each has a number of horizontal ‘laterals’ consisting of approximately 200 to 250-ft long 12-in steel well screens. The water is then collected into a 4-ft drop shaft into a 10-ft diameter tunnel constructed by Tunnel Boring Machine that conveys the water to the pump station. Check out the ASCE link below to view a video overview of the project. The Tunnel Boring Magazine Cover Story 04-09 link has more info on the project as well. [Source: ASCE. Image: Tunnel Boring Magazine Cover Story 04-09]